6.16.2010

Retail clinics

Retail clinics are medical clinics located in pharmacies and grocery and "big box" stores. Since they first opened in 2000, they now number nearly 1200. RAND Health conducted a study of the clinics focusing on three areas: 1. A profile of retail clinics (locations, services, and ownership); 2. Patient characteristics; and 3. Costs, quality, and preventive care delivery. Its key findings:
  • Most (88 percent) U.S. retail clinics are located in major metropolitan areas, and one-third of the U.S. urban population can easily access a clinic.
  • Retail clinics typically serve younger adult patients who do not have a regular health care provider.
  • For a selected group of conditions, retail clinics deliver lower-cost care of equivalent quality compared with other settings.
  • Approximately one in five visits to a primary care physician and one in ten visits to an emergency department are for a problem that can be treated at a retail clinic.

Health Care on Aisle 7: The Growing Phenomenon of Retail Clinics, pdf (7pp/160kB), html, June 14, 2010

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